Drivetrain
Chassis
Body
Documented 65 Actual Mile Trans Am SE Survivor 6.6L V8 Auto T-Tops AC
Assembled in December of 1978, this well-equipped Trans Am was ordered by an 18-year-old enthusiast named William Leland III. Naturally Bill Jr., as he was known to his friends, was, like most other adolescent males at the time, smitten with Smokey and the Bandit. However, what made him different from other gearheads was the fact that he realized pristine examples of these cars would eventually be hard to find. Bill Jr., being raised in the hobby, had already acquired a well-paying job in the parts department of Westboro, Massachusetts' Pell Pontiac. One day he finally got up the nerve to ask his dad, Bill II, to co-sign a loan. Bill II happily agreed as long as the loan didn't exceed $10K. That accord resulted in this $10,009.45 Trans Am SE. Bill Jr.'s plans were simple: the Pontiac wasn't to be driven or subjected to any undue wear and tear… ever. When he borrowed a dealer plate to drive his prized possession roughly 20 miles to his parents' house, the car had six miles on its odometer; and roughly 26 miles is as far as the unregistered Trans Am was driven for the next several years. Bill Jr. eventually married and bought a place of his own, so he once again borrowed a dealer plate and drove the car roughly 20 more miles to his new residence. And that's where the Pontiac stayed for the next 17 years. Sadly, Bill Jr. was diagnosed with terminal melanoma cancer and would pass at the young age of 42. Before he passed, he signed the Title of the Trans Am over to his father. Bill II borrowed a tag and brought the car back to his home where, after being driven only 65 miles in 24 years, it would be parked and covered. Far from forgotten, the car was fired and shifted about once a month over the next decade. In 2013, it was passed to its third owner as a reference grade, 65-mile survivor. And in 2014, it made its public debut at the Pontiac-Oakland Club International All GM Car Show where it earned a much-deserved Survivor Award.
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1979 Pontiac
Firebird Trans Am SE
Description
Assembled in December of 1978, this well-equipped Trans Am was ordered by an 18-year-old enthusiast named William Leland III. Naturally Bill Jr., as he was known to his friends, was, like most other adolescent males at the time, smitten with Smokey and the Bandit. However, what made him different from other gearheads was the fact that he realized pristine examples of these cars would eventually be hard to find. Bill Jr., being raised in the hobby, had already acquired a well-paying job in the parts department of Westboro, Massachusetts' Pell Pontiac. One day he finally got up the nerve to ask his dad, Bill II, to co-sign a loan. Bill II happily agreed as long as the loan didn't exceed $10K. That accord resulted in this $10,009.45 Trans Am SE. Bill Jr.'s plans were simple: the Pontiac wasn't to be driven or subjected to any undue wear and tear… ever. When he borrowed a dealer plate to drive his prized possession roughly 20 miles to his parents' house, the car had six miles on its odometer; and roughly 26 miles is as far as the unregistered Trans Am was driven for the next several years. Bill Jr. eventually married and bought a place of his own, so he once again borrowed a dealer plate and drove the car roughly 20 more miles to his new residence. And that's where the Pontiac stayed for the next 17 years. Sadly, Bill Jr. was diagnosed with terminal melanoma cancer and would pass at the young age of 42. Before he passed, he signed the Title of the Trans Am over to his father. Bill II borrowed a tag and brought the car back to his home where, after being driven only 65 miles in 24 years, it would be parked and covered. Far from forgotten, the car was fired and shifted about once a month over the next decade. In 2013, it was passed to its third owner as a reference grade, 65-mile survivor. And in 2014, it made its public debut at the Pontiac-Oakland Club International All GM Car Show where it earned a much-deserved Survivor Award.
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Specs
- Year
- 1979
- Make
- Pontiac
- Model
- Firebird
- Sub Model
- Trans Am SE
- Miles
- 65
- Vin
- 2W87K9N127652
- Stock
- 136040
Basic
- Engine Size
- 6.6 Liter V8
- Engine Type
- Gasoline
- Transmission Type
- 3 Speed Automatic
- Drivetrain
- RWD
Engine
- Body Color
- Starlight Black
- Body Style
- Coupe
- Doors
- 2
- Paint Type
- Lacquer
Body
- Interior Color
- Black
- Seating Type
- Bucket
- Seat Material
- Velour
- Shifter Type
- Floor
Interior
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